Your mates houses and parents as a kid ?
Discussion
Further to my revelations of the 1980s on the video thread, what were your mates houses and parents like ?
It could always be a culture shock going to someone elses house, my parents were pretty young, fairly normal and mentally stable but not all parents were.
I had two mates on my road, they lived opposite each other, ones dad was boffing the others mum, she was a bit of a cow and the bloke who was shagging her a bit of an aging "player", his wife was lovely as was the other injured party, they had some real slanging matches, we could hear it all.
The nice mum was lovely and we were always welcome, his dad (the shagger) was a nice chap but he left, the house was fairly big and it was always full of our group of mates and his brothers group, everyone got on, always a bit of Duran Duran or Spandau Ballet playing (his brother was a bit older and a bit New Romantic), grandstand Space invaders tournaments going on, we played hide and seek (how old fashioned does that sound) or if the weather was crap played on his Spectrum, his house backed on to the fields at the back and we always built a massive bonfire every November, 30 or so kids involved and his mum just let us do whatever we wanted, she joined in and made food, last year was the first year I didnt do anything on bonfire night, wish I could go back to those, the newsagent used to bring the left over fireworks, booze was smuggled in and it was great.
Remember going for tea at one lads house, his dad was like 60 or something, wearing a suit, was like 1950s, he actually said "put that in their pipes and smoke it", mum was basically Tubbs off League of Gentleman, they made "Camp" Coffee after Dinner and he went on about it like it was a real treat, it was pretty grim but can remember them all looking at me waiting for my reaction like they had given me something wonderful and not some s
t coffee, I made appropriate noises and left as quick as I could.
Jeff my Jewish mate, was apprehensive to visit as the food his mum cooked smelt funny and she was a bit scary, need not have worried as it was delicious and his somewhat stern seeming mum was actually a real character and a brilliant laugh.
My mate Ian, lived in this avant garde house with massive loft, mad, bohemian one eyed french mum, an art student brother, dad was a newspaper journalist and knew everyone famous, the loft was full of music equipment, drum machines, sequencers, a Roland synth, they had a fridge that was permanently stocked with cans of Coke, just googled him and he died last year, he was a top chap his dad, had a Peugeot 505 GTI which seemed super rapid.
It could always be a culture shock going to someone elses house, my parents were pretty young, fairly normal and mentally stable but not all parents were.
I had two mates on my road, they lived opposite each other, ones dad was boffing the others mum, she was a bit of a cow and the bloke who was shagging her a bit of an aging "player", his wife was lovely as was the other injured party, they had some real slanging matches, we could hear it all.
The nice mum was lovely and we were always welcome, his dad (the shagger) was a nice chap but he left, the house was fairly big and it was always full of our group of mates and his brothers group, everyone got on, always a bit of Duran Duran or Spandau Ballet playing (his brother was a bit older and a bit New Romantic), grandstand Space invaders tournaments going on, we played hide and seek (how old fashioned does that sound) or if the weather was crap played on his Spectrum, his house backed on to the fields at the back and we always built a massive bonfire every November, 30 or so kids involved and his mum just let us do whatever we wanted, she joined in and made food, last year was the first year I didnt do anything on bonfire night, wish I could go back to those, the newsagent used to bring the left over fireworks, booze was smuggled in and it was great.
Remember going for tea at one lads house, his dad was like 60 or something, wearing a suit, was like 1950s, he actually said "put that in their pipes and smoke it", mum was basically Tubbs off League of Gentleman, they made "Camp" Coffee after Dinner and he went on about it like it was a real treat, it was pretty grim but can remember them all looking at me waiting for my reaction like they had given me something wonderful and not some s
t coffee, I made appropriate noises and left as quick as I could.Jeff my Jewish mate, was apprehensive to visit as the food his mum cooked smelt funny and she was a bit scary, need not have worried as it was delicious and his somewhat stern seeming mum was actually a real character and a brilliant laugh.
My mate Ian, lived in this avant garde house with massive loft, mad, bohemian one eyed french mum, an art student brother, dad was a newspaper journalist and knew everyone famous, the loft was full of music equipment, drum machines, sequencers, a Roland synth, they had a fridge that was permanently stocked with cans of Coke, just googled him and he died last year, he was a top chap his dad, had a Peugeot 505 GTI which seemed super rapid.
I remember how big my best mate's house was, 3 floors, 2 bathrooms and probably 4-5 bedrooms. Which was weird because there were only 3 of them since his Dad worked abroad. We used the top bedroom as a sort of den, and spent many hours playing Doom, Theme Park and all those great PC games my puny 386 wouldn't run. Since it is round the corner from my parent's house I still walk past it often, but they've moved and it's been turned into student digs. So there's piles of washing up, furniture used as room dividers and a constant smell of weed wafting out of it. Shame.
Grew up on RAF camps, so everyone pretty much knew everyone else and pretty much everyone's house was identical (magnolia!) apart from when my sister was born, we were at Northolt there weren't any 3 bedroom married quarters available so got put into an officers quarters in Swakleys, mum hated living next door to all the stuck up wives.
I had three mum's. My actually mum who was a feeder and just stuffed me and my two best mates with sandwiches, crisps, coke and anything else that will be shortly revealed as carcinogenic.
Dan's mum was lovely and let us get with with murder. Around 16 or 17 years old, we'd always stay at Dan's because his mum didn't bother with curfews and always left no-brand pizzas out for us to sober up on when we got in at 9:30 completely hammered off three pints of bods.
Then Tim's mum who was the dragon. Never let us play inside the house, gave us crappy food and just shouted at us all the time. However, we'd put up with because Tim had a converted garage that we could sleep in and sneak out of at night without anyone knowing and he lived closest to Lancaster city centre where we always got served in the merchants. Well Tim and Dan did because they were six foot plus, I'm 5'7" and still hoping.
Dan's mum was lovely and let us get with with murder. Around 16 or 17 years old, we'd always stay at Dan's because his mum didn't bother with curfews and always left no-brand pizzas out for us to sober up on when we got in at 9:30 completely hammered off three pints of bods.
Then Tim's mum who was the dragon. Never let us play inside the house, gave us crappy food and just shouted at us all the time. However, we'd put up with because Tim had a converted garage that we could sleep in and sneak out of at night without anyone knowing and he lived closest to Lancaster city centre where we always got served in the merchants. Well Tim and Dan did because they were six foot plus, I'm 5'7" and still hoping.
There were two brothers around the corner from me - one about my age, the other a bit younger - whose parents allowed them to call them by their first names (Mick and Monica, if I remember rightly) and I could never decide if that was terribly avant-garde or just plain odd.
And then there was the lovely Mrs Archibald up the street, whose son I occasionally hung around with. I remember her inviting me to "pop round whenever you like, even if (her son) wasn't in". I never did "pop round"...
And then there was the lovely Mrs Archibald up the street, whose son I occasionally hung around with. I remember her inviting me to "pop round whenever you like, even if (her son) wasn't in". I never did "pop round"...
Me and older sister were friends with a lad and girl nearby. Their dad was Swiss, had a few bob, and they had a nice '20s 4 bed detached on a nice street. But what a strict man, the house temperature in winter was pretty much outside temp, or maybe a couple of degrees higher, the kids weren't allowed tv midweek and very limited at weekends. He never smiled or acknowledged are names or anything. I really felt sorry for his 3 kids.
Needless to say 30 years later I hear off my mum that non of the kids have turned out normal and all live at the opposite end of the country, rarely visiting. Sad really
Needless to say 30 years later I hear off my mum that non of the kids have turned out normal and all live at the opposite end of the country, rarely visiting. Sad really
Drummond Baize said:
There were two brothers around the corner from me - one about my age, the other a bit younger - whose parents allowed them to call them by their first names (Mick and Monica, if I remember rightly) and I could never decide if that was terribly avant-garde or just plain odd.
And then there was the lovely Mrs Archibald up the street, whose son I occasionally hung around with. I remember her inviting me to "pop round whenever you like, even if (her son) wasn't in". I never did "pop round"...
You so should have popped round for a sherry And then there was the lovely Mrs Archibald up the street, whose son I occasionally hung around with. I remember her inviting me to "pop round whenever you like, even if (her son) wasn't in". I never did "pop round"...
now that would have been a story. As for us all the houses were pretty much the same 3 bed semis. And parents were pretty ordinary as well mine probably the most relaxed with the bigger garden and a wall you could climb into a field it was a huge wall when I think about it.
BoRED S2upid said:
Drummond Baize said:
And then there was the lovely Mrs Archibald up the street, whose son I occasionally hung around with. I remember her inviting me to "pop round whenever you like, even if (her son) wasn't in". I never did "pop round"...
You so should have popped round for a sherry now that would have been a story. One friends parents were always known for being unnecessarily strict. Their house always had a far too clinical/sterile feel to it.
His room had to be immaculate, homework done right after coming home from school, forced to learn to play the violin etc. I can appreciate that his parents were just trying to set him on the right path, but I think the way they went about it was wrong.
The highlight was when Grand Theft Auto 4 came out, which at the time was the game to have. I think we were all ~14, and like kids everywhere, our parents all got us the game.
We all got it on release day and obviously started playing together online, only for the guy with weird parents to quietly say "my parents wont let me have the game because it's too violent". After a few weeks of us all taking the piss, his parents finally relented and bought it for him, on the condition he played it with the sound off so he didn't hear any swearing.
I can appreciate PH is full of millionaires who live in country manors, who wouldn't possibly think of letting junior play an 18 game or hear swearing, but for the rest of us low-lives, it was all good fun.
His room had to be immaculate, homework done right after coming home from school, forced to learn to play the violin etc. I can appreciate that his parents were just trying to set him on the right path, but I think the way they went about it was wrong.
The highlight was when Grand Theft Auto 4 came out, which at the time was the game to have. I think we were all ~14, and like kids everywhere, our parents all got us the game.
We all got it on release day and obviously started playing together online, only for the guy with weird parents to quietly say "my parents wont let me have the game because it's too violent". After a few weeks of us all taking the piss, his parents finally relented and bought it for him, on the condition he played it with the sound off so he didn't hear any swearing.
I can appreciate PH is full of millionaires who live in country manors, who wouldn't possibly think of letting junior play an 18 game or hear swearing, but for the rest of us low-lives, it was all good fun.
One of my old best mates, I guess at about 12-14 years old used to have lovely but very laid back parents (pre drinking days but paintball guns, computer games till 6 in the morning, fireworks etc.)
My mum was a bit of an organic eating veggie, so whenever I was around there and the menu choices were either chips, beans and pizza, or chips, beans and burgers, it was bliss!
Anyway, shortly after we drifted apart he started to turn to crime, some stolen cars, drug dealing etc, was banned for drink driving and so his dad used to drive him around to deal his drugs, very odd.
My mum was a bit of an organic eating veggie, so whenever I was around there and the menu choices were either chips, beans and pizza, or chips, beans and burgers, it was bliss!
Anyway, shortly after we drifted apart he started to turn to crime, some stolen cars, drug dealing etc, was banned for drink driving and so his dad used to drive him around to deal his drugs, very odd.
I spent a lot of my childhood in my next door neighbours house. My parents were hard working professionals and "normal", but often away working, whereas my neighbours were always there and even if they were out I would just walk in and make myself a cup of tea - the front door was never locked.
They were wealthy, and we had lots of fun in their large houses in the UK and abroad, but then they went spectacularly bust, and we all dealt with the fallout from that.
They remain my closest friends and I love them as much as my own family.
Had 2 very close mates when I grew up
Mate 1, used to spend loads of time at his house. His dad was an accountant and a bit of a petrolhead (I remember at one point dad had an XR3i and mum had an XR2) and they were the "cool" parents. We all shared a passion for American Football as well at the time and used to watch the superbowl together. Both our parents remained living close together until his dad passed away last year.
Mate 2 I am still very close with now. His dad was the gruff, scary type. Hard as nails working class bloke who always had his head under the bonnet of a car and taught us a fair few bits about mechanics - to the extent that we ended up building our first rally car on his driveway when we were 17-18. I think he just struggled with dealing with kids as once we got older he became much more talkative with us and is a great bloke. Deaf as a post though
My other 2 closest mates we were a bit more distant with their parents. One had his own business and the other was a prison governor. They were always pleasant enough but we tended to just spend our time out and about. Scooby was older so was driving when we were still 15 and we tended to just go out in his van messing about
Mate 1, used to spend loads of time at his house. His dad was an accountant and a bit of a petrolhead (I remember at one point dad had an XR3i and mum had an XR2) and they were the "cool" parents. We all shared a passion for American Football as well at the time and used to watch the superbowl together. Both our parents remained living close together until his dad passed away last year.
Mate 2 I am still very close with now. His dad was the gruff, scary type. Hard as nails working class bloke who always had his head under the bonnet of a car and taught us a fair few bits about mechanics - to the extent that we ended up building our first rally car on his driveway when we were 17-18. I think he just struggled with dealing with kids as once we got older he became much more talkative with us and is a great bloke. Deaf as a post though
My other 2 closest mates we were a bit more distant with their parents. One had his own business and the other was a prison governor. They were always pleasant enough but we tended to just spend our time out and about. Scooby was older so was driving when we were still 15 and we tended to just go out in his van messing about
Matt's parents - very bohemian, a big Georgian townhouse, lots of rooms with old furniture, books, paintings etc. Used to stay over regularly and we'd listen to his MW radio until late into the night in Matt's big attic bedroom.
Often there'd be interference on the radio which we couldn't explain until one day his (much) older brother told us it was his mum's vibrator. No idea if it was true but I couldn't look her in the eye from that day on, it sounded plausible enough though, Matt's parents told us about the 'birds and the bees' as we were at a Catholic school and it wasn't taught until 6th form (my parents are Catholic and thought 17 was about the right age) but we were all interested in girls long before that.
Paul's parents - both stereotypical Guardian reading teachers, small house rammed with books and newspapers, always on a demo or collecting for a cause. His mum was lovely but his dad lost it when Paul came out to them at about 14 and was really cruel. It's the first time I'd seen proper 'phobia' towards someone and it was horrible.
Eddies parents - Eddie was at the school on a scholarship and came from a council estate. Really kind parents, always had food and beer for us his dad taught us how to fix our own cars and his mum gave the best advice about girls, we'd all go to her. Both died recently and both funerals were overflowing with well-wishers.
Often there'd be interference on the radio which we couldn't explain until one day his (much) older brother told us it was his mum's vibrator. No idea if it was true but I couldn't look her in the eye from that day on, it sounded plausible enough though, Matt's parents told us about the 'birds and the bees' as we were at a Catholic school and it wasn't taught until 6th form (my parents are Catholic and thought 17 was about the right age) but we were all interested in girls long before that.
Paul's parents - both stereotypical Guardian reading teachers, small house rammed with books and newspapers, always on a demo or collecting for a cause. His mum was lovely but his dad lost it when Paul came out to them at about 14 and was really cruel. It's the first time I'd seen proper 'phobia' towards someone and it was horrible.
Eddies parents - Eddie was at the school on a scholarship and came from a council estate. Really kind parents, always had food and beer for us his dad taught us how to fix our own cars and his mum gave the best advice about girls, we'd all go to her. Both died recently and both funerals were overflowing with well-wishers.
Used to spend a bit of time round a mate's a couple of miles down the road. His mother was occasionally ill and confined to bed...I later found out she was an alcoholic. His dad didn't even know where to find a teaspoon in their kitchen. We were all a bit jealous of his older brother though as he had a Raleigh Chopper, which was way cooler than anyone elses bikes.
I had a mate whose Dad was a photographer. Their walls were adorned with arty, but quite graphic, nude pictures of his mum.
You'd be sat eating your tea round at his house whilst a large print of his mother, in the all-together emerging from a swimming pool, looked down on proceedings.
You'd be sat eating your tea round at his house whilst a large print of his mother, in the all-together emerging from a swimming pool, looked down on proceedings.
Great thread!
One of my friends, Paul, lived just round the corner from me. Had a nice newish house that was always wel kept by his single mother.
She was gorgeous. Slim leggy blonde. She knew it too. Many times I was caught gorping at her, she would just smile, tap me on the head and walk off. I was about 13 at the time and I thought she wanted me!
Another friend lee, again, nice newish house. Th one thing that has always stuck in my mind was his mums teeth. She could chew and apple though a tennis racket! She was really nice though. Not exactly wealthy but used to spoil us with choccy bars, crisps and coke. Loved going round there!
One of my friends, Paul, lived just round the corner from me. Had a nice newish house that was always wel kept by his single mother.
She was gorgeous. Slim leggy blonde. She knew it too. Many times I was caught gorping at her, she would just smile, tap me on the head and walk off. I was about 13 at the time and I thought she wanted me!
Another friend lee, again, nice newish house. Th one thing that has always stuck in my mind was his mums teeth. She could chew and apple though a tennis racket!
She was really nice though. Not exactly wealthy but used to spoil us with choccy bars, crisps and coke. Loved going round there!A school mate of mine lived two doors down, he was the youngest of seven kids, a large Irish family who's door was always open, there was quite an age gap between him and his five brothers and one sister, accordingly they all seemed very cool and grown up to me. This was the early '70s so in my impressionable eyes they all looked like someone on Top Of The Pops - one looked like Marc Bolan, all corkscrew hairdo and bell bottoms, one looked a bit like a poverty spec Mick Jagger while the other three brothers looked like roadies for Led Zep. His sister Finola was around sixteen or seventeen, she had gorgeous brown eyes and a Jane Fonda haircut, I had a fair old crush on her and she knew it, but she only had eyes for David 'bd' Cassidy. The parents seemed very old and wise, I never knew what the Dad did for a living or understood a word he said in his broad, Southern Irish accent, they couldn't afford a car and the house always looked as though they'd only just moved in with stuff everywhere, in a permanent state of chaos every time I went round. I remember during one of the Summer holidays, must have been '72, I tagged along with my mate when Finola and one of the elder brothers took us to someone's bedsit in town, there was a strange smell in the air as they were blasting out Cat Stevens and T-Rex from a record player perched on top of a paraffin heater which struggled to mask the 'other' smell in the room. As the next few years passed all the siblings moved away, we moved out in '78 and I never saw any of the family again but heard years later that two of the brothers had died from a drug overdose within months of each other.
A few doors further down lived another mate who's Mum was rather loose according to my Mum. My mate was allowed to get away with blue murder most of the time, probably to keep him occupied while his various 'uncles' came and went. One for the council thread no doubt but I'll never forget the vision of her stood in the doorway one evening, her hair all deshevelled, make-up in a mess, a fag on the go, purple corduroy hotpants and white knee length f*ck me boots. Ahh, simple pleasures!
d' Cassidy. The parents seemed very old and wise, I never knew what the Dad did for a living or understood a word he said in his broad, Southern Irish accent, they couldn't afford a car and the house always looked as though they'd only just moved in with stuff everywhere, in a permanent state of chaos every time I went round. I remember during one of the Summer holidays, must have been '72, I tagged along with my mate when Finola and one of the elder brothers took us to someone's bedsit in town, there was a strange smell in the air as they were blasting out Cat Stevens and T-Rex from a record player perched on top of a paraffin heater which struggled to mask the 'other' smell in the room. As the next few years passed all the siblings moved away, we moved out in '78 and I never saw any of the family again but heard years later that two of the brothers had died from a drug overdose within months of each other.A few doors further down lived another mate who's Mum was rather loose according to my Mum. My mate was allowed to get away with blue murder most of the time, probably to keep him occupied while his various 'uncles' came and went. One for the council thread no doubt but I'll never forget the vision of her stood in the doorway one evening, her hair all deshevelled, make-up in a mess, a fag on the go, purple corduroy hotpants and white knee length f*ck me boots. Ahh, simple pleasures!
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